The Buffalo Sabres were entering the game Thursday night against the Washington Capitals with at the very least maintaining their four-point lead over the Tampa Bay Lightning, but ideally extending it. Unfortunately, it was not their night as they would lose 2-1 to the Capitals and in the process see their eight-game win streak come to an end.
The Sabres jumped out to an early 1-0 lead with Sam Carrick scoring the first goal of the game. However, the Capitals would tie it up in the second period before scoring the game-winning goal in the final two minutes of the third period.
It was a tough loss for this team as it was a game they could have won. However, it is a game they can't dwell on and can just put it behind them with the focus shifting to their next game. These are four takeaways from the game on Thursday night.
Buffalo Sabres shuffle their forward lines with Alex Tuch out against the Capitals
The Buffalo Sabres were forced to shuffle their forward lines in the game against the Washington Capitals, as Alex Tuch was out for the game. He left the game early against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday, and even though he practiced on Thursday, the Sabres probably wanted to be extra cautious with one of their key players.
The absence of Tuch forced the coaching staff to really shuffle the lines as Zach Benson and Noah Ostlund moved up to the top line with Tage Thompson to begin the game. They then had Peyton Krebs on the line with Josh Norris and Josh Doan, and the fourth line had Sam Carrick, Beck Malenstyn, and Tanner Pearson, who was making his Sabres debut.
It seemed these moves were made with keeping the line of Jason Zucker, Ryan McLeod, and Jack Quinn together, as they have been playing great as of late.
The Sabres did a good job of generating shots in this game, but struggled in the second period to generate high-danger chances, with only one, so the coaching staff continued to shuffle the lines. He would move Josh Norris up to the top line and Thompson over to the wing with Noah Ostlund, while Krebs was on a line with Doan and Benson.
However, those pairings were short-lived as the Sabres went back to their original lines they started the game with at the beginning of the third period.
There is no question that the Sabres missed Alex Tuch but the depth they have among their forwards allows Lindy Ruff to be able to make these changes in-game as he tries to find groups that work and generate chances.
Luke Schenn paired with Logan Stanley over Michael Kesselring
The forwards weren't the only group that saw changes as Luke Schenn made his Buffalo Sabres debut against the Capitals on the third pair with Logan Stanley. It was a logical move for the Sabres as Schenn and Stanley played together extensively this season with the Winnipeg Jets.
However, it wasn't a great debut for the two as they had the turnover at the blue line in the second period that gave Ryan Leonard the breakaway to tie the game at one. Then, in the third period, Stanley would be called for a penalty that gave the Capitals a power play.
The Sabres, fortunately, were able to kill off the penalty, but these two together didn't work against the Capitals. It would make sense for the team to go back to Michael Kesselring alongside Stanley and that to be the pair that is active for the majority of the remainder of the games.
Sam Carrick showing an unexpected scoring touch
When the Buffalo Sabres made the trade for Sam Carrick before the trade deadline, he was expected to be a player who excels in the faceoff circle and bring some grit to the lineup. He certainly has done both of those, especially against the Capitals, with a 60% faceoff win percentage.
However, one thing that the Sabres weren't expecting was Sam Carrick being a goal scorer on this fourth line. He would score the Sabres' only goal of the game against the Washington Capitals, and it is now his second in four games.
This is a notable jump in production after he had four in 60 games this season with the Rangers. Lindy Ruff and the Sabres have shown a lot of confidence in Carrick and he has continued to reward that confidence.
Just wasn't the Buffalo Sabres night
The Buffalo Sabres haven't lost much recently, with their last loss coming all the way back on February 5th against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the final game before the Olympic break. However, unlike the Penguins game, the Sabres didn't really get out-played, and it just felt like it wasn't their night.
In this game, the Sabres outshot the Capitals 30-21, won over 60% of the faceoffs, and won the hit battle by one. Unfortunately, that is just how these games go sometimes, and this isn't any reason to panic or be concerned. The focus for the Sabres is to put this one behind them and turn their focus to Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.